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China Reacts to Queen Elizabeth’s ‘Very Rude’ Gaffe

May 12, 2016 12:15 PM

VOA News

In an image made from pool video, Queen Elizabeth II speaks with Metropolitan Police Commander Lucy D'Orsi in the garden of Buckingham Palace in London, May 10, 2016. The queen was overheard on video describing Chinese officials as "very rude."

The Global Times, which is connected to the People's Daily newspaper of the Communist Party, said in an editorial Thursday that it was inconceivable that British officials had intentionally leaked the video because such a move would be "truly boorish and rude."

The paper further said that Britain's media was "narcissistic" and "reckless," and accused it of blowing the story out of proportion.

"The West in modern times has risen to the top and created a brilliant civilization, but their media is full of reckless 'gossip fiends' who bare their fangs and brandish their claws and are very narcissistic, retaining the bad manners of 'barbarians,'" the paper said.

Elizabeth made the comment Tuesday during a garden party for her 90th birthday at Buckingham Palace in a conversation with a senior British police officer.

Buckingham Palace’s cameraman recorded the conversation and distributed the video, which aired Wednesday.

The video captured police Commander Lucy D'Orsi saying to the queen that arranging the state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping in October was a “testing time.” Elizabeth responded, “they were very rude to the ambassador,” exclaiming: "Extraordinary!"

Elizabeth’s rare diplomatic gaffe became a media buzz, since the 90-year-old monarch almost never comments publicly on political matters and reporters accompanying her are instructed not to eavesdrop on private conversations.